Luminosity 2017: A Divine, Soul-Quenching Evening with Jami Young

Many of Saskatoon's female leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals gathered on November 23 in the cozy, soft-lit space of Amp & Guitar for the second annual Luminosity event.

Hosted and spearheaded by Jami Young — leadership mentor, coach and creator/facilitator of Rise by Design: Leadership Program for Women and the Feminine LeaderShift — the evening was a beautifully orchestrated celebration of strong, successful women at every stage of their personal and professional journeys.

Creating the event to achieve more than one purpose, it was evident Young's vision to gather, empower and embrace the feminine spirit in all its strength, vulnerability and beauty was well received. "The vision for Luminosity is really threefold," explains Young, "I want to bring women together in celebration as we individually and collectively step into greater leadership and sisterhood, create a platform for women to shine their light, share stories, showcase their businesses and expand their tribes. It's also an opportunity to honour the most recent graduates of Rise by Design."

Rallying the troops as evening emcee was separation specialist and Rise by Design alum Lana Wickstrom, a familiar face and female business leader in Saskatoon who is well known for her vibrant personality. "It really is an honour and a privilege to share this stage with so many amazing, empowering and bad-ass females who are blazing trails, sharing their truth and owning their journeys in this world,” expressed Wickstrom.

Next to take the stage was Allison Braun, business and lifestyle mentor, “joyologist” and entrepreneur. A great friend of Young's and supporter of Luminosity's mission, Braun talked about her own journey in finding her business purpose, soulmate clients, and testing her own theory about pleasure in life on herself. “We need to stop glorifying ‘the grind’ and attributing our purpose to how much we hustle,” declared Braun, explaining how adding pleasure to your life and daily activities can create capacity for a more productive and fulfilling work life and home life.

A panel of former and current Feminine LeaderShift participants then joined Wickstrom to discuss topics including reverence, surviving adversity, judgement and owning the spotlight as female leaders. Panelists included Julie Valette, Stacey Love, Caval Olson – LePage and Kelly Bode, all speaking candidly about their struggles, triumphs and learning lessons with a distinct yet beautiful range of perspectives and backgrounds.

The evening was capped off with the event’s creator taking the stage to vocalize her appreciation for her fierce femme clients and mentors who have challenged and elevated her throughout the years. Poignantly recognizing the special gifts women can offer each other and how amazing and powerful that sisterhood can be, Young also touched on the importance of choosing your inner circle: “I'd rather be loved deeply by a select few than liked by many who may not even truly know me.”

Making an all-too-important statement about the destructive force of gossip and circulating negative talk amongst fellow females, Young ended the evening with a powerful statement about shifting the label of personal baggage to a much more useful idea of precious cargo. A standing ovation from the appreciative crowd confirmed the event’s success with much excitement for Luminosity 2018.